Bari Weiss has been appointed by Paramount Skydance to rejuvenate CBS News. Within her initial days as the new editor-in-chief, she has already made notable strides.
In a memo to CBS News employees this past Friday, Weiss expressed her eagerness “to comprehend how you allocate your work hours — and more importantly, what you’ve accomplished (or are currently working on) that you’re most proud of.” She requested that every staff member share with her a memo detailing this information, along with their perspectives on the current strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement.
“Please be candid,” she encouraged. “It will tremendously aid me.” She reassured all that “every response will remain strictly confidential.”
The memo has struck some peculiar chords — particularly in light of a recent communication issued earlier this year by Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” which prompted federal workers for a weekly recap of “five things” they had achieved. Weiss’s memo also mirrors a humorous moment from the 1999 film “Office Space,” where employees at a tech firm are queried by management consultants about their daily activities, leading to the awkward question, “what would you say… you do here?”
CBS News opted not to provide any comments.
Weiss’s hiring has garnered significant attention within the media industry because she represents a non-traditional choice to spearhead a major television newsroom. Many applaud her for starting her own digital media outlet, The Free Press, known for its critiques of far-left cultural sensibilities, though it boasts only 170,000 paid subscribers. In comparison, CBS News’s flagship program, “60 Minutes,” attracted 10 million viewers for its most recent season opener. Even the “CBS Evening News,” which has faced challenges recently following a format revamp, drew an average audience of 3.7 million over the five days concluding on September 26. In her capacity as CBS News chief editor, Weiss will also shape content for “Face the Nation,” “CBS Mornings,” and “48 Hours,” among other programming.
There is a pressing need for change within CBS News. The division has experienced a revolving door of senior leadership in recent years, with none able to effectively counteract declining viewership for its weekday offerings, “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings,” which consistently trail behind competitors from NBC News and ABC News. However, CBS News possesses a notable level of trust from its audience; as per Pew Research Center, 51% of U.S. adults who have some faith in national news sources place their trust in CBS News. Only ABC News and NBC News surpass this trust level, with CBS News aligning with both CNN and PBS.
Though Weiss is still in the early stages of her leadership, her presence is already prompting scrutiny of a news division that hasn’t been under such limelight since Megyn Kelly’s controversial move from Fox News to NBC News in 2017. With a prominent media profile, every action Kelly took drew public and social media commentary, placing her in a challenging position as she navigated high-pressure journalistic tasks, including interviewing Russian leader Vladimir Putin, launching a Sunday news program against “60 Minutes,” and hosting a daily talk show at 9 a.m. Ultimately, Kelly parted ways with NBC amid an on-air dispute and tensions with her superiors.
In her memo from Friday, Weiss noted that staff feedback would enable her to bypass “functional titles and reporting structures” and help her navigate beyond “hierarchical formalities.” However, her communication seems to have attracted more attention than typically expected for leadership within a news organization.
